Renaissance (demogroup)
Encyclopedia
Renaissance was an American
PC
demo group started in 1991-1992 by founding members Mosaic, C.C. Catch, Daredevil, and Tran.
by Charles Scheffold (a.k.a. Daredevil) and Thomas Pytel
(a.k.a. Tran) in 1993. PMODE
was a DOS extender
designed to be used in x86 assembly language
programs, and was later expanded into PMODE/W, a drop-in replacement for the popular DOS/4GW
DOS extender distributed with and used by the Watcom
C, C++ and Fortran compilers.
Renaissance was also on the forefront of PC
digital music software, having written the first PC-based 8-channel tracker, Composer 669, and the first combined FM
+digital music tracker, CDFM. The first 32-channel tracker, MultiTracker, followed in late 1993.
Renaissance had intentions from the start to create games as well. The only well-released game to their credit was Zone 66
, a shareware
top-down shooter game, published by Epic MegaGames in early 1993. C.C. Catch also composed music for Epic's 1994 robot fighting game, One Must Fall: 2097
.
There was much mystery as to Tran's participation in the group.
Rumors surfaced at Assembly '93, as he and other members were in attendance to enter a demo but never completed it. Months later, the rumors were confirmed as Tran released his first independent demo, Hell, and announced his departure from Renaissance. He continued releasing PMODE and other demos independently.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
demo group started in 1991-1992 by founding members Mosaic, C.C. Catch, Daredevil, and Tran.
History and contributions
The group made several noteworthy contributions throughout its existence, not only to its own subculture, but the entire computing world as well. Most notable was the creation of PMODEPMODE
PMODE is a DOS extender used in several IBM PC compatible DOS applications in the mid and late 1990s. It was created by Thomas "Tran" Pytel, and the first version became publicly available in 1994. The original PMODE was written to be used with programs written in x86 assembler, specifically using...
by Charles Scheffold (a.k.a. Daredevil) and Thomas Pytel
Thomas Pytel
Tomasz Pytel is a Polish-American programmer, better known as Tran / Renaissance in the demoscene. He is notable for creating the Timeless demo in 1994, and for co-creating the PMODE DOS extender with Charles Scheffold . He was also the designer of the PC game Zone 66. After that, he went to 3D...
(a.k.a. Tran) in 1993. PMODE
PMODE
PMODE is a DOS extender used in several IBM PC compatible DOS applications in the mid and late 1990s. It was created by Thomas "Tran" Pytel, and the first version became publicly available in 1994. The original PMODE was written to be used with programs written in x86 assembler, specifically using...
was a DOS extender
DOS extender
A DOS extender is a computer software program which enables software to run under a protected mode environment even though the host operating system is only capable of operating in real mode....
designed to be used in x86 assembly language
Assembly language
An assembly language is a low-level programming language for computers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other programmable devices. It implements a symbolic representation of the machine codes and other constants needed to program a given CPU architecture...
programs, and was later expanded into PMODE/W, a drop-in replacement for the popular DOS/4GW
DOS/4GW
DOS/4G is a 32-bit DOS extender developed by Rational Systems . It allows DOS programs to eliminate the 640 KB conventional memory limit by addressing up to 64 MB of extended memory on Intel 80386 and above machines....
DOS extender distributed with and used by the Watcom
Watcom
Watcom International Corporation was founded in 1981 by three former employees of the Computer Systems Group at the University of Waterloo, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...
C, C++ and Fortran compilers.
Renaissance was also on the forefront of PC
IBM PC
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981...
digital music software, having written the first PC-based 8-channel tracker, Composer 669, and the first combined FM
AdLib
Ad Lib, Inc. was a manufacturer of sound cards and other computer equipment founded by Martin Prevel, a former professor of music and vice-dean of the music department at the Université Laval...
+digital music tracker, CDFM. The first 32-channel tracker, MultiTracker, followed in late 1993.
Renaissance had intentions from the start to create games as well. The only well-released game to their credit was Zone 66
Zone 66
Zone 66 is a top down shooting video game released in 1993 for the PC, that initially was released as shareware. The game involved controlling a number of aircraft over various landscapes destroying various targets....
, a shareware
Shareware
The term shareware is a proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability, or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a compact disc included with a...
top-down shooter game, published by Epic MegaGames in early 1993. C.C. Catch also composed music for Epic's 1994 robot fighting game, One Must Fall: 2097
One Must Fall: 2097
One Must Fall: 2097 is a combat-oriented computer game for all IBM-compatible computers, programmed by Diversions Entertainment. It has a sequel, One Must Fall: Battlegrounds.-Background:...
.
There was much mystery as to Tran's participation in the group.
Rumors surfaced at Assembly '93, as he and other members were in attendance to enter a demo but never completed it. Months later, the rumors were confirmed as Tran released his first independent demo, Hell, and announced his departure from Renaissance. He continued releasing PMODE and other demos independently.
Founding members
- C.C. Catch (Kenny Chow aka Chou) — musician http://www.mindcandydvd.com/people/kenny.html
- Daredevil (Charles Scheffold) — coder/sysop/organizer
- Mosaic (Ray Lee) — musician
- Tran (Thomas PytelThomas PytelTomasz Pytel is a Polish-American programmer, better known as Tran / Renaissance in the demoscene. He is notable for creating the Timeless demo in 1994, and for co-creating the PMODE DOS extender with Charles Scheffold . He was also the designer of the PC game Zone 66. After that, he went to 3D...
) — coder http://www.mobygames.com/developer/sheet/view/developerId,824/
Other members
- CyberStrike (Josh Jensen) — coder
- Dark Avenger (Tony Proios)
- Digital Sculptor
- El Diablo
- Leviathan (Andy Carlson) — musician
- Nemesis (Andy Wise) — musician
- Mr. Happy
- Oman (John Hood) — graphics
- Radioisotope
- Ryan Cramer — Cramer was a tracker musician and also ran one of their main distribution BBSesBulletin board systemA Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
in VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
called Data Connection. As owner of a working BBSBulletin board systemA Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
, Data Connection also acted as the U.S. distribution point for many European demogroupDemogroupDemogroups are teams of demosceners, who make computer based audio-visual works of art known as demos. Demogroups form a subculture collectively known as the demoscene....
s. He is also known for writing one of the few group profiles on RenaissanceRenaissanceThe Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
among other articles with famous sceners published in DemoNews #75. He now runs Ryan Cramer Design, LLC, a creative design agency located in Atlanta, Georgia. - StarScream (Dan Goldstein) — coder
- Untouchable
- Whitefiend — graphics
- White Shadow (Dave Cooper) — coder
- Zeek (Rich Geldreich)
Significant releases
- Black Glass 2 — demoDemo (computer programming)A demo is a non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer subculture known as the demoscene. Demogroups create demos to demonstrate their abilities in programming, music, drawing, and 3D modeling...
(1992) - Amnesia — demo (1992)
- Composer 669 — tracker (1992)
- Zone 66Zone 66Zone 66 is a top down shooting video game released in 1993 for the PC, that initially was released as shareware. The game involved controlling a number of aircraft over various landscapes destroying various targets....
— game (1993), published by Epic Games - MultiTracker — tracker (1993)
- Nothing On — musicdisk (1994)
- Renaissance Music Player (1994)
- Epidemic — musicdisk (1994), co-op with iCEICE AdvertisementsiCE Advertisements is a digital art group formed in 1991. Although the expanded title is rarely ever used, iCE is an acronym for Insane Creators Enterprise...
- PMODE
- PMODE/W (for Watcom C/C++Watcom C compilerThe Watcom C/C++ compiler is a compiler for the computer programming languages C and C++ that produces executable programs for several platforms and operating systems. The code it produces for MS-DOS executes very fast. It was one of the first compilers to support the Intel 80386 "protected mode"...
)
External links
- Renaissance demoscene releases indexed on Pouet.
- Demonews Issue 75, December 1994 — Features an article by Ryan Cramer meeting fellow Renaissance members.
- Renaissance modules at AMP